Benjamin Purper
News Director 2021-2023Benjamin Purper was News Director of KCBX from May of 2021 to September of 2023. He came from California’s Inland Empire, where he spent three years as a reporter and Morning Edition host at KVCR in San Bernardino. Dozens of his stories have aired on KQED’s California Report, and his work has broadcast on NPR's news magazines, as well. In addition to radio, Ben has worked as a newspaper reporter and freelance writer.
He attended the University of Redlands, where he studied International Relations with minors in Instrumental Performance and Latin American Studies, and studied abroad in Mexico and Argentina.
Benjamin's journalism career started in college, when his university’s newspaper was abruptly shut down and defunded. He and the newspaper staff raised money and started a new, independent online newspaper, of which he became Editor-in-Chief for two years. After college, he completed an internship with NPR in their Culver City office, then worked as both a newspaper and public radio reporter.
Besides public radio, Benjamin enjoys music (he plays bass), writing and traveling.
You can reach the news department by email at news@kcbx.org.
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The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has made it harder for Pacific Gas & Electric to keep operating the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant.
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The new progressive majority on the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors is moving to discard the county’s current district maps, along with other county policies, bylaws and committee assignments put into place by the former conservative majority.
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Central Coast elephant seals were hit hard by the winter storm, but the species itself is doing wellThe atmospheric rivers that doused California didn’t just affect people and property — they also poured down on the elephant seals that come ashore on Central Coast beaches.
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The SLO County Sheriff’s Office says it continues to conduct a major search for Kyle Doan, the missing five-year-old boy swept away by floodwaters in San Miguel during the peak of the winter storm.
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President Biden has added SLO, Santa Barbara and Monterey Counties to the list of counties eligible for direct FEMA aid.
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The North Santa Barbara County communities of Santa Maria, Orcutt and Guadalupe were hit hard by the winter storm. Some local residents are not optimistic they will get federal funds for recovery.
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The Central Coast is still experiencing rain, but the worst of the storm is likely over.
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The Central Coast is bracing for more heavy weather this weekend, though it is not expected to be as extreme as it was earlier this week.
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The North Santa Barbara County communities of Santa Maria, Orcutt and Guadalupe saw significant damage and disruption from this week’s storm.
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Most evacuation and shelter-in-place orders in SLO and Santa Barbara Counties are lifted, though there is still widespread damage and lingering threats.